- With atypical weather crisscrossing the U.S. landscape this spring and summer, climate scientists are targeting Western North Carolina as a best bet for colorful fall foliage. Despite a far-reaching national heat wave, weather experts predict that well-nourished trees resulting from beneficial wet weather patterns may position Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains as a bright light among 2012 fall foliage destinations. Leaf peepers looking to optimize their autumn vacation should keep their eyes on the sky, as weather will be a defining factor of the 2012 fall season.Healthy Trees"While much of the country continues to suffer through drought, including parts of the Northeast, ...Western N.C. has enjoyed plentiful rainfall this year (but not too much!), setting us up for what should be a great fall color season," said Pamela McCown, coordinator for the A-B Tech Institute for Climate Education."The ridge of high pressure that plagued much of the central U.S. ... produced conditions here in Western N.C. that led to almost daily afternoon showers and thunderstorms. As a result, the trees are not stressed from lack of rain and should be ready to put on a beautiful display," McCown said.Escaping Drought "In terms of temperature, Western N.C. has experienced warmer-than-average conditions this summer, along with the rest of the nation," said Jake Crouch, climate scientist at NOAA's National Climatic Data Center in Asheville. "However, above-average rainfall has kept us out of the drought that is impacting nearly two-thirds of the contiguous United States. Conditions are favorable for healthy trees and, thus, a vibrant palette of fall colors, but the weeks ahead will be the deciding factor.""Other areas known for fall color, such as New England and the Great Lakes, have been dry this year with drought impacting a large percentage of the region. The hot and dry summer will have placed stress on the trees and could potentially dull the color display," Crouch said.Weather Key in 2012 "Optimal fall colors come from a combination of conditions that must occur is the right order," McCown said. "The good news is that one of the key conditions is already in place because we've had a good growing year... The next key step will be related to the temperatures as we move into late summer and early fall. Cool, crisp temperatures at night and sunny, warm days without significant rain or early freezes in late September and early October are important for the development of vibrant color."Promising fall color predictions for the 2012 foliage season are good news for travelers. Color seekers should consider planning ahead to make the most of the busy autumn travel season.FALL TRAVEL TIPS: Avoid the Red, Yellow & Gold Rush. Want tickets to the big fall color show? Accommodations fill up quickly during the popular fall travel season. Book early to avoid the rush. FallintheMountains.com and the Asheville Concierge can guide you to a suite with a view, a mountain cabin or a cozy B&B that fits your budget. Worried about Missing the Color Peak? Travelers are surprise

d to learn that there isn't one specific week to see peak fall colors. The North Carolina Mountains are unique. Extreme elevation variations and more than 100 species of leaf-shedding trees offer the longest and most colorful foliage season in the nation. From late September into early November, travelers can easily locate sweeping views of fall colors, especially if they follow expert advice...

Follow the Weekly Color Reports. To help visitors locate where the autumn color is peaking from week-to-week, the Asheville Convention & Visitors Bureau is working with park officials, biologists, climate experts and attractions around the region to compile weekly fall foliage reports for the North Carolina mountains at FallintheMountains.com. Asheville's fall color experts will also be tweeting up-to-the-minute color updates, travel tips and travel deals at @FallColorHunter on Twitter. AboutLocated along the Blue Ridge Parkway and just outside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Asheville area is steeped in natural history and full of fall adventure. With elevations that range from 1,500 feet in the valleys to 6,684 feet at Mount Mitchell (the highest peak east of the Mississippi River), the Blue Ridge Mountains are a kaleidoscope of colorful fall foliage from late September through early November. FallintheMountains.com Online Resources FallintheMountains.com - Insider tips, fall travel deals, events, autumn adventures and updates on the progress of the foliage season

Testimonials

"Kat was very thorough, helpful, and a real pleasure to work with. She made the whole experience a lot smoother and less stressful. We truly enjoyed working with her."

"When the going got tough Sean got tougher. Our road to find a house was long and complicated, but Sean stuck with us and made sure that we ended up with great home that fit our needs and budget. In fact our home exceeds our expectations. We will recommend Sean to anyone we know looking for a house. And if we ever decide to sell Sean will once again be our agent."

"Mary helped me find not a house, but a home. Even with a challenging budget we fround the perfect home. I feel that Mary went above and beyond to provide the attention and care that I need (even with a sprained ankle and broken toes!)

"I felt very comfortable working with Michael and Jennifer. I felt that they were honest and knowledgeable. Buying raw land was a new concept to me and they were very helpful in everything from what an easement is to what type of trees were growing on the land. I feel like I made my first friends in North Carolina!!! Could not be happier!" ~ Kathy B.

"Lorraine always returned my phone calls ASAP and was very prompt for our appointments. Very thorough in her research of properties to ensure it was what we were looking for and was there every step of the way from making an offer through the closing!"

"Leah was great!! The Miller team is the perfect mix of honesty and gentle sales. They give you the freedom buyers/sellers want and [...]

"Lorraine was extremely friendly and helpful throughout our buying process! She took the time to help us find the right location and was very detailed in ever aspect from initial contract to final closing. Highly recommend."

"Aviva is very professional and has an innate understanding of the buyer's perspective. She took great care in the whole process and made us feel comfortable and confident in our purchase."

"Jody was excellent as usual. Thorough, thoughtful, and efficient. Great to work with from start to finish." - Catoe

"Jody is a fantastic realtor. We moved to the area from Texas knowing very little of the various neighborhoods in Asheville. Jody took the time to take us to each location and point out the pr os and cons of each. When we finally settled on a house that was currently in construction, his knowledge of green building and of the construction process in general were invaluable. I'd highly recommend Jody to anyone looking for a house in Asheville and the surrounding areas." ~ Chris G.

"Kat was amazing! She sold our house in 58 days! She had such great advice and got interested buyers in to see the house so quickly. She is knowledgable and hard working. She was so dedicated to us and the sale of our house, I would recommend her to everyone. Truly one of the best realtors I've worked with."

"I have purchased a number of homes in my life, and Beth is absolutely the best realtor I have worked with. I lived 1000 miles from my new city, so I relied heavily on Beth to provide insight and factual information, give honest feedback and push the process to completion. She offered good judgment, without pushing me, which helped me make wise decisions in choosing the right home. Beth apparently knows everybody in town, so was able to connect me with service providers who were anxious to do good work with minimal hassle. She went out of her way to answer every question and represent my [...]

"It was a pleasure to work with Leah and the Miller team! Leah is a very reliable and thoughtful person who put in a lot of efforts in guiding me through the process of finding the perfect home for m e. She was always super fast in answering and providing well-grounded information. I can highly recommend her."

"Lorraine is the greatest!!! We live in upstate NY and plan to relocate to the Asheville, NC area. Lorraine is making the relocation process go so smoothly. Before meeting her in person we communicated via email, phone and text. Once we arrived in Asheville, Lorraine spent 2 days taking us around the area showing us houses. We are so lucky to have found Lorraine and highly recommend her to anyone looking for a real estate agent who is extremely knowledgeable, goes the extra mile and is very personable."

"My agent Jeff Jelinek went above and beyond every thing a realtor could possibly do to help us find a new home. I will always remember how he went through several homes, tirelessly and with out any pressure to sell. His capabilities and resolve to only find us a home for the reason we needed one. Many thanks Jeff." ~ John B.

"Gretchen went above and beyond. We closed several weeks ago and she's still on the job. Gretchen went from agent to friend. How's that for service?" ~Alan

"We came to Luiz via word of mouth, and were immediately impressed with his knowledge, professionalism, and ability to work with us as first-time home-buyers to make the process simple and understand able. Luiz was extremely responsive to any and all questions we had along the way, and anticipated many of our needs before we identified those needs ourselves. We never felt lost in the process and felt that we always knew what to expect. Luiz and Jessi are a great team and were amazing to work with. [...]

"Mike Miller and his daughters (Sophie & Leah Miller) worked very hard to make our townhouse purchase possible. Mike arranged multiple site visits and provided insight on the proper steps to follow in the process. We would recommend Mike to our friends who are looking into the housing market."

"Susan Young did a great job in every possible way. Words cannot express how grateful I am to her for managing such a difficult transaction." ~ [...]

"Chris helped me buy my first home which was very long and complicated. I had been renting a home for 5 years and loved the location. When I was offered to buy the home, I was rather undecided if I wanted to buy my rental l or if I wanted to upgrade to something newer. The home was older and needed a lot of TLC so I reached out to Chris from a referral and he came over and walked through the house with me. Because I wasn’t sure what to expect and was undecided on purchasing the rental, Chris was so helpful and so calming. He took the time to show me homes in the zip code I wanted, he [...]

"Jody was amazing. He went above and beyond to ensure both our transactions went through. Jody is incredibly knowledgable, efficient and he cares." ~Emily and Ryan

"Steve Heiselman was easy to work with, very professional, with an excellent knowledge of the Asheville and Buncombe County real estate market. He was also very accessible usually answering his phone and returning calls in a timely manner. He made it very clear from the first time we met that he wanted to earn our business and he was prepared to provide the highest level of service possible. Steve was a pleasure to work with and I do not hesitate to recommend him highly!" ~ Steve and Nan K.

"Lorraine went above and beyond for us from the beginning of our search right through to the end of the building of our new home. Without exaggeration, we can't imagine how we could have had a better experience in working with a realtor and we're so grateful to have found her." ~ Amy S.

"I bought my house from long distance without ever seeing it in person as I was living abroad. Kat did an excellent job of understanding what type of house in what type of neighborhood would suite my needs and life style. She was very helpful in providing short videos to give me a better sense of a property that I wanted to get a better feel for."

"Several months ago, I decided I had procrastinated long enough ( about 8 yrs) and needed to sell our home of 30 years. It was an 80's house we had built and raised our two daughters - the only home they had known. I talked with a realtor and was was discouraged our home was not worth what I had hoped. My daughters wanted me to get a second opinion and my son-in- law asked if I would be willing to talk to someone he knew- "the nicest guy he'd ever met"
So I called Chris Tuten and we scheduled an appointment for him to look at the house. Two days later he arrived [...]

"Beth was amazing! She walked me through all of the seemingly endless processes of buying a home. She was patient and professional during all of this. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to purchase a home."

"In an effort to be more financially stable and independent, I came to you (Chris Tuten) to help me reach my goals. I knew the chances were not high given my time frame and budget but you gave me faith and had faith yourself that it could be done. You have been so instrumental in making this happen. I appreciate your faith, perseverance, availability and for always keeping me informed and updated. I have felt safe throughout the entire process of unknowns. I don't know how to thank you enough- especially when on top of all that you dropped what you were doing on a Sunday to help me [...]

"Bethany Acker did a fantastic job finding us the mountain home that was perfect for us!!! She was very knowledgeable [...]

"Hilary Paradise of Town and Mountain Realty, Asheville, North Carolina, gets results! She is a skilled, motivated and competent realtor.
I have sold and purchased many homes over the years and recognize her as exceptional in her field. She sold my mountain property in four months, what a number of other real estate companies in the area could not do in ten years. Hilary Paradise knows the area thoroughly and is astute in marketing. Her composed and confident personality establishes trust and fairness. She answers all calls and emails in a timely manner. She [...]

With Respect,
Dr. Eleanor F.

"Aviva was great, she helped us find exactly what we were looking for." ~ Ryan S.

"As a reference point, I have had the opportunity to work with 4 agents in the Asheville area, and 10 altogether. I will say that working with Jody was really a superior experience. While look ing at houses he has a great way of providing context, without offering opinion. He also was superb at guiding the buying process--helping me meet my deadlines, and noticing the things that actually needed extra attention. In a nutshell, next time I need an agent, I will be calling Jody. He’s simply the best I’ve ever encountered." ~Patrick

"Jody was very efficient at selling our house in Okley, Jody got us almost 10% over asking price. I would highly recommend him as a sellers agent." ~Alex B.

"I had the pleasure of working with Aviva looking for an investment property in Asheville. She was awesome to work with. She is sharp, amusing, hard-working, knowledgeable, shows great attention to detail and is an outstanding negotiator. She has my highest recommendation." ~ JA

"Of the five homes I have purchased, this is by far the best experience. Luiz is by far the best realtor I have ever dealt with. I would highly recommend Town and Mountain and Luiz!"

"Beth did a great job of representing my wife and I both in the sale of our current home and in the purchase of our new home. Beth went above and beyond in offering her assistance with any questions that we encountered and also for the buyers and their agent that purchased our home. Beth was willing to meet us to show properties on a schedule that worked well with ours. She was always willing to answer any phone calls or text messages when the need arose. I would highly recommend Beth to anyone looking to either buy or sell a [...]

"Justin was fantastic! Easy to communicate with and readily available whenever we needed him. Thanks! We love our new home!" ~ Laura T.

"Kat was fantastic. She understands the business and more importantly her clients. Working with her was so easy and enjoyable. Living 350 miles away had the potential to make this a difficult experience, but it wasn't. Kat quickly and efficiently dealt with all our questions and concerns. And when we found our dream retirement house, she was there investigating how to deal with unexpected issues revealed in the home inspection, scheduling experts and repairs, and negotiating the best price for us.

"Amanda Boren was outstanding and very patient in helping us sell our house in Black Mountain. She was great to work with on the house sale and very helpful during the closing process."

"Leah has been an amazing realtor to work with, both professionally and personally. It was a true pleasure to work with her at every step of this very big life transition. I was out of state when I p ut my house on the market, and she was my lifeline for staging and facilitating all aspects of the selling process. Leah made herself fully available above and beyond standard expectations, accommodating our four hour time difference and being my point person for the on-site wrap up that I couldn't be present for. Considering that I called Town and Mountain Realty based on a Google search, and [...]

"Highly experienced, good communication."

"Jody is the best. I've never dealt with a realtor as knowledgeable, helpful, patient, down-to-earth, perceptive and smart. We came to Jody with some particularly challenging needs, and he remai ned very patient throughout. I got the impression that his top priority was to be genuinely helpful and not just to make a quick sale. We looked at quite a few places together before finally settling on one and he was always great to work with. He knows a lot about houses and building materials and picked up on details I never would have noticed. He also knows pricing and negotiating. The place [...]

"My husband and I are in the process of relocating to Asheville to be near relatives. Lorraine could not have been the more perfect agent to help us with this relocation. She is FULL of energy, knows the region and is one of the friendliest and most flexible agents that you could meet! We started looking at homes, but switched to properties, which had Lorraine adjusting quickly! She didn't skip a beat, and we found a lovely property near town. I will never forget watching Lorraine hiking the property, describing its potential! Lorraine was savvy in negotiations, with her strong [...]

"Gretchen was wonderful to work with! I was so lucky to work with her as she really listened to what was important to me and moved quickly when it mattered most, landing me in the house that fits me perfectly after only 2 days on the market. I would recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell because she really knows the market as well as the industry." ~ Shannon C.

"Jody - you are the best! Thank you so much for your attention, your calm & positive demeanor, and all of your help in buying our first home! :)" ~Emily and Adam

"Once again, Mike Miller was more than patient and thorough from beginning to end on this property. I recommend him whenever I get the chance!!" ~ Katie K.

"My family has Jody Whitehurst to manage our real estate transactions four times in the past six years. He is the best REALTOR that we have ever known. Jody is focused on his client's needs, and proactive in meeting those needs." ~ Frederick & Nancy

"I have worked with many realtors over the years, working with Beth was an unexpected surprise. She knows the area very well and stayed on top of things, She made the process easy and enjoyable. She answered my phone calls most of the time and when she couldn't she would call me back within a few minutes. She was able to find a home I loved in just a few days. Even though we have closed on the property, Beth will call occasionally to see if I need anything and answer further questions. If I am to sell and buy another home in the area, I would definitely use her… Top [...]

“Madison was extremely helpful and persistent in finding the right house for the right price and she succeeded. The house was a steal and if we ever decide to sell there is no doubt in my mind that we will come out on top”

~ Drew P

"Justin has been awesome to work with, very friendly agent who worked very hard to help me find the property that best fit my needs. I would highly recommend Justin to others and will enlist his help in the future!" ~ CJ